Saturday, April 25, 2009

By now, you may have pegged me for the type of girl that would be attracted to vintage millinery flowers. If not, I can save you the trouble of figuring it out. I AM ATTRACTED TO VINTAGE MILLINERY FLOWERS. I got really into it some years ago after I attended an estate sale of an antique French fashion doll dresser (yes, there really are people who do that). This lady loved all of the beautiful antique textiles that I do-ribbonwork, millinery flowers, ribbons, wonderful fabrics, linens, and lace. She also had a huge collection of Victorian ephemera, but that's a whole other post. Anyway, to say that I had achieved antique textile Nirvana when I went to this sale was an understatement. I left happy, but broke, with bags and bags of great things, one of which was a plethora of millinery flowers. At the time, I used to set up regularly at a local antiques show, so I sold many of the flowers there. But, there are always those holdbacks. The ones that I just couldn't part with. Then, there were a few more that I had picked up along the way at various venues. All well and good, but what the heck do you do with all of those pieces? I was pretty sure I wasn't going to become a doll dresser and use them to adorn the dolls...I was pretty sure I was not going to start wearing hats and dolling them up (although maybe for a girlie tea party in my garden sometime...but, I digress). Then one day, I happened upon this cool small dress form at my local craft store (Hobby Lobby, I think). It had a distressed pink wooden top and a chicken wire like skirt. Hmmm, on went the thinking cap and in the cart went the dress form. This is what I came up with.

My girl is as pretty from the back as she is from the front. I added the ribbon "cumberbund" and lace "shawl". Many of the flowers were just stuck in through the holes and the ones that wouldn't stay for the most part were held in place with one of my favorite accessories, twisty ties. Pretty simple.

Gotta love a pretty vintage pink rose...

And a deep pink velvet rose...

I really love the pink velvet berries...

This ended up being one of my most favorite inspiration pieces. And the best part is, no vintage millinery flowers were harmed in the making of this project! I hope you enjoyed seeing it on Pink Saturday. When you have the chance, go over and visit Bev at How Sweet the Sound for loads of other fun and PINK offerings.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Okay, I don't know if its just the hint of impending spring or what, but I'm feeling restless in my decor. I've always loved my home, small though it is, but after almost 10 years in the same place, I'm feeling like its time for a change. I've been getting inspired from places like Pottery Barn for my family room and am leaning towards darkish chocolate (maybe milk chocolate) walls for my "pretty room" otherwise known as the living room or, as it was called in the Edwardian era, the "entry hall". I'm also getting anxious to renovate our home office and rip up that hideous carpet upstairs and rearrange my son's room, and...okay, you see where this is going. And then there's the studio we are building. Now that, I envision as a Nordic French kinda fusion. As illustrated in Franske stemninger på nordisk vis, a beautiful book printed in Danish only which has so many stunning pictures, you don't need to read it. Although if you could read Danish, it would be handy. The name translates to "French Atmosphere in the Nordic Way" and it is a very pretty combo. Sigh...off to pay some bills. Reality, you know? Anybody else out there feeling restless?

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Happy Pink Saturday! I don't know about where you live, but where I live, we had a very mild winter and are now "enjoying" a very snowy spring. Today is very gray and cold, so not much good for taking pictures. I decided to go shopping from my armchair and share with you some of my favorite things from some of my favorite webshops.

The first two photos are from Our Cottage Garden-can't blame a girl for a little shameless self promotion, can you?

My friend Denise makes these gorgeous mini wreaths/tiaras from vintage millinery. They've been very successful for her and they usually get snapped up as soon as she puts them on the site. This is one of my favorites.

A pretty box of pink ribbon and trims. Yummy, yummy!

Lidy at French Garden House has such a great eye and does such a super job showcasing her products like these extremely realistic looking faux rose wreaths.

Janet at Shabbyfufu has these adorable pink confections made from old doll heads and antique bottles and loads of fluff.

Gloria from Shabbytown has these wonderful pink lamps with one of my favorites...cherubs. Maybe I'll find a pocketfull of change and then I can get these divine beauties!

Heather at Pretty Petals (a fellow blogger and all around talented lady) had these wonderful collage packs on her site. I just want to sit and stare at them.

And last, but not least, one of my favorite online shopping stops, Ebay, had this sweet vintage purse featuring a plethora of pink velvet strawberries on it. I tried to get it, but was unsuccessful. Alas, I must just admire it from afar.

I hope you've enjoyed our little shopping trip through cyberspace. Maybe the weather will be more cooperative and I can take some of my own new photos for next post. If you have time, pop over to Bev at How Sweet the Sound and visit the other Pink Saturday participants' blogs.

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WELCOME TO THE FRENCH LAUNDRY

A BIT ABOUT ME

I am a wife, mother, mosaic artist, microbiologist,antique dealer,and gypsy soul living in the beautiful state of Colorado. My life keeps me busy, but happy.
My sons entertain and inspire me with their energy and joie de vivre. Sometimes, being a middle aged mom, they wear me out, but I've never regretted one moment we've been together.
In 2004, my son, who was 4 at the time, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. He had to undergo over 3 years of chemotherapy to get better. I'm happy to report that he is doing well, but the experience was life changing. I realized that "someday" is a luxury that not everyone will get to enjoy. So, with a new paradigm, I have embarked upon the artistic journey that I dreamed of doing SOMEDAY. I love making mosaic art, selling antiques, and dreaming of that beautiful, antique, French inspired space, with lots of glamour, grace, and, of course, a healthy dose of Legos on the floor along with a little Army man or two. This is, after all, reality! Live your dream, but keep it real.